


By a Thread

by Coalmine301



Series: Whumptober 2020 [1]
Category: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Gen, Hanging, Phoenix Obi-Wan Kenobi, Rattatak, Temporary Character Death, The Author Regrets Nothing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:41:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26268931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Coalmine301/pseuds/Coalmine301
Summary: Every ounce in Alpha’s body screams at him to stop this. To throw himself at the cursed woman. To cut the General free and escape this damned place. To do something, anything, to prevent this nightmare from happening.But the chains are too strong and his body is too weak.There is nothing he can do. Nothing except watch.
Relationships: Alpha-17 & Obi-Wan Kenobi, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Asajj Ventress
Series: Whumptober 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1908538
Comments: 14
Kudos: 153





	By a Thread

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 2020Whumptober prompt "Let's hang out sometime"

The general is calm. A statue chiseled from stark white marble. With arms tied behind his back the bearded man appears even more dignified. He seems almost unbothered by the noose around his neck.

Unlike Alpha-17. The clone snarls, pulling at his chains like a rabid dog. “If you don’t let him down from there right now, by the stars I will…”

The Sith apprentice barely heeds him any mind. Why pay attention to some lowly clone when there’s a Jedi high general to torment right there? Ventress’ pale amber eyes remain fixated on Kenobi’s beaten yet still defiant form. The twin orbs seemed to almost gleam in the low light.

Every ounce in Alpha’s body screams at him to stop this. To throw himself at the cursed woman. To cut the General free and escape this damned place. To do something, anything, to prevent this nightmare from happening.

But the chains are too strong and his body is too weak. 

There is nothing he can do. Nothing except watch.

“Tell me, Kenobi,” the bald woman practically purrs, a disgusting sound rumbling from her throat. “Most humanoids, when cut off from a supply of oxygen, usually take seven minutes to die.”

The general silently watches her, aqua eyes tracking her every move. For once he isn’t wearing that accursed Sith mask.

A slender hand gives the rope a quick tug, forcing the general up onto his toes. There’s a sudden hitch in his breath, a crack in his mask. A split second later his face relaxes again as if to deny such a reaction.

Too late, Ventress had seen it. 

A grin spreads across her features. For a minute it almost looks normal, friendly even. But there are far too many teeth. The skin is stretched far too wide. A feral hunger burns in her eyes, revealing how much she was enjoying this.

Alpha had only seen a smile like that a few times. Neither had ended 

Ventress releases her grip on the rope and the General drops back down to the flat of his feet. His face is as calm and indifferent as ever.

It’s a lie.

“I wonder how long it will take you to die.”

There is a blur of motion and before Alpha can make sense of it the stool is sent clattering across the floor. The general drops, blue eyes widening. His mouth flies open in an instinctual attempt to take in air that will never come. 

“No!” Alpha screeches, lunging against the chains. They are as uncompromising as ever.

It is then Ventress finally turns to face him. That cursed smile is still there, contorting her features in a sinister snarl. 

Their eyes meet, two shades of clashing amber. His earthy ocher bores into her pale amber orbs which leer back. 

Over her shoulder Kenobi dangles, frantically struggling to get air he will never reach. Gasping, choking, sputtering… Alpha doesn't like to think about the noises the general makes. 

Alpha doesn't know how long they stood like that. Second, minutes, years. Time passes in a meaningless rush as clone and Sith 

At last he falls still and it is then Alpha breaks the wordless standoff. 

Kenobi isn’t struggling anymore. He’s just limply dangling from the perverse necktie. The rope isn’t completely still and so the corpse slightly sways from side to side.

Something in Alpha’s chest shatters. This isn’t how it was supposed to go. 

From the minute they emerged from their birthing pods the clones were taught one thing: you are expendable. As they eat, sleep, and train alongside identical strangers this fact is hammered into their minds. 

All most of them will ever be is cannon fodder. Giving their lives to defend their generals, he republic. It is a noble end, or so they’re told. One fitting of the soldiers they are.

So why is Alpha alive, whole, when the general is- when Kenobi is-

Ventress follows his gaze over his shoulder. Her bald head tilts from one side to the other, examining her work. “Like the view, clone?”

Alpha can’t even think of anything to say. How could he when the person he had sworn to protect is hanging lifelessly from the gallows. 

Alpha had heard once that people look peaceful when they’re dead, like they're sleeping. Kenobi certainly doesn't. The general looks anything but peaceful. His eyes are frozen wide, staring unseeingly ahead. His parted lips had turned a violent purple and blue.

How is he going to tell Skywalker? The thought comes to Alpha before he knows what to do with it. He wasn’t all that familiar with the kid, with any of the Jedi really. Yet he had seen enough to know he and Kenobi were close, brothers in all but blood. 

From his own life as a clone Alpha knew how painful it was to lose a brother. There weren’t words to describe the sudden emptiness you felt in your chest. How could he possibly come up with something to say once he got out.

If he got out.

Just then Ventress straightened as if receiving some unseen signal. The smile disappears, instead replaced with a sharp smirk. Alpha isn’t sure if it’s better or not. 

“You’re going to love this part, just watch.”

Before Alpha could even begin to ponder that the corpse exploded into a burst of amber flame. The clone blinked hard, shaking his head. There was no way he saw that… right?

Yet when he opened his eyes the corpse was gone. In its place a neat little pile of ashes gathered on the floor. In the low light he swore he could even see the outline of bone fragments. 

Nestled within the ash and bones was a strange shape. And when Alpha squinted he realized it was some kind of bird chick covered in soft fuzz. The clone didn’t know much about avian biology but it looked incredibly small and young. Its eyes weren’t even open yet.

Alpha must be losing his mind at this point, right?

Or maybe not. Almost a lifetime ago he had heard tales about a mythical bird, a phoenix, who would die and be reborn from its pyre. At the time he had simply brushed it off as myth. But here, now… now it all seemed a little more believable.

Ventress’ cruel grin was back, contorting her features once more. “It’s such a pretty sight, isn’t it?” 

There was a hint of something ominous in her voice and Alpha knew he would see the general die several times more.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

When Alpha-17 was finally rescued Ventress was nowhere in sight. Neither was General Kenobi. When asked the clone simply grunted in response, throat rough from lack of water.

He kept his hands against his abdomen, leading to the medics assuming he had been injured there (not an illogical assumption considering he was injured almost everywhere else). Yet when they got close enough it was revealed rather than a wound he clutched some kind of bird chick in his hands.

Alpha-17 only answered questions as simply and professionally as he could. Anyone who got too close was warned away with a threatening growl. 

It was only Padawan Skywalker who was allowed to approach. The blonde had come forward with raised hands and a knowing look in young blue eyes. The two had exchanged whispered words, words no one was able to pick up, before the clone begrudgingly let the boy take the chick he so carefully sheltered.

It was only then, once he knew both bird and boy were safe with each other, that Alpha-17 finally let the medics tend to his wounds.

**Author's Note:**

> Not gonna lie, I'm actually really proud of this one.


End file.
